The Lions are finishing this season strong as they have won three games in a row.  Despite only being 3-4 at home this season the Lions have really fought hard at Ford Field this year.  Leslie Frazier has the Vikings playing solid football as they are 3-2 with him in charge.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions are going to come out passing this Sunday.  Shaun Hill never really got a shot from the Vikings in his time with them so he will want to stick it to them this Sunday.  If the Lions’ O-Line keeps Hill upright, he is going to make some plays down the field with Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew getting most of the action.  The Lions will only run the ball to keep the Vikings’ D honest. 

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Vikings are going to be starting rookie QB Joe Webb again.  With that in mind the Lions have to try to stop Adrian Peterson and force Webb to have to beat them with his arm.  That will be easier said than done as Peterson will be targeting a Lions’ D that is giving up 128.3 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  The Vikings will also have to keep an eye on Percy Harvin who appears to be Webb’s WR of choice when throwing the ball.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 20, VIKINGS 17

25-year old WR Calvin Johnson has turned in another big year for the Detroit Lions.  Johnson played in 15 games for the Lions so far this year and he has caught 77 passes for 1,120 yards (14.5 avg) with 12 TD grabs.  He has carried the ball 4 times for 32 yards (8.0 ypc) so far this year.  Johnson has now played in 60 games in his first four years with the Lions and he has caught 270 passes for 4,191 yards (15.5 avg) with 33 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 18 times for 156 yards (8.7 ypc) with a TD run in his career with the Lions.  Johnson has the potential to be the best WR in Lions’ history as long as he can stay healthy.

The Lions have placed 29-year old linebacker Landon Johnson on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a concussion.  Johnson played in 12 games for the Lions this year and he had 48 tackles and 3 forced fumbles.  Johnson has now played in 101 games in his first seven years in the NFL and he has 480 tackles, 13 passes defensed, 3.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and 1 interception.

The Detroit Lions scored 17 points in the last 4:37 of this game to pull a impressive victory out of their hats in Miami.  Shaun Hill returned to action in this game and he was solid.  Hill completed 14 of 26 passes for 222 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 10 yards in this game.  Jahvid Best led thew ay on the ground for the Lions in this game with 6 carries  for 24 yards (4.0 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 53 yards and it went for a TD.  Maurice Morris only rushed for 22 yards on 12 carries (1.8 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 13 yards.  Brandon Pettigrew (4 rec, 74 yards, TD) and Calvin Johnson (4 rec, 52 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Lions.  The Lions finished up with 67 yards on 21 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 26 passes for 208 yards as they had the ball for only 22:45.

The Lions gave up a ton of yards but they also made some big plays on D when it really counted.  LB Bobby Carpenter (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and CB Nathan Vasher (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Lions; D in this game.  LB DeAndre Levy made the biggest play on D for the Lions in this game when he picked off a Chad Henne pass which he returned 30 yards for a TD with only 2:11 left.  He also made 4 tackles and defensed 1 pass in this game.  The Dolphins finished up with 154 yards rushing on 37 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 44 passes for 271 yards.  The Lions are now 5-10 on the year and they are on a 3-game winning streak.

The Lions have finally placed 22-year old QB Matt Stafford on I.R. ending his season due to a shoulder injury.  Stafford played in 3 games for the Lions this year and he completed 57 of 96 passes (59.4%) for 535 yards with 6 TD passes and 1 INT (91.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 4 times for 11 yards (2.8 ypc) with 1 TD grab this year.  Stafford has now played in 13 games in his first two years with the Lions and he has completed 258 of 473 passes (54.5%) for 2,802 yards with 19 TD passes and 21 INTs (67.1 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 24 times for 119 yards (5.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career.  The Lions really hope that Stafford can stay healthy in 2011 and beyond because he really looked solid this year when he played.

The Lions have won two games in a row including their first road win in 27 games last weekend.  The Dolphins are only 1-6 at home this year so maybe the Lions can steal another win on the road.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions are going to come out throwing the ball if either Drew Stanton or Shaun Hill is ready to go.  The key to having success throwing the ball this weekend falls to the offensive line.  If Stanton or Hill has time to throw the ball, he should have success against a Fins’ D that is allowing 201.4 yards passing per game.  The Dolphins have a very solid run defense but the Lions aren’t much of a running team so that likely won’t hurt them too much in this game.

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins are likely going to try to pound the ball with Ronnie Brown & Ricky Williams against a Lions’ D that is giving up 126.5 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  The Lions have been getting better on pass defense but I wouldn’t call them “good” quite yet. With that in mind they are going to have to get after Chad Henne with the pass rush to force him into making some mistakes.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 20, LIONS 17

31-year old RB Maurice Morris had a rough start to the 2010 season.  In his first 7 games, Morris carried the ball 8 times for 10 yards (1.3 ypc) and he also caught 7 passes for 54 yards (7.7 avg).  But, when Jahvid Best and Kevin Smith went down to injury, Morris stepped up.  In his last five games, Morris has carried the ball 55 times for 283 yards (5.1 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He has also caught 14 passes for 79 yards (5.6 avg) in the last four games.  The Lions need Morris to finish the season strongly to help give the offense balance.

QB Drew Stanton suffered a separated left shoulder during last week’s game against the Bucs but he still led the Lions to their second victory in a row.  Stanton is going to try to play this weekend against the Dolphins but Shaun Hill (broken index finger on right hand) is back practicing for the Lions.  Stanton has played in 6 games for the Lions so far this year and he has completed 69 of 119 passes (58%) for 780 yards with 4 TD passes and 3 INTs (78.4 QB Rating).  Stanton has also carried the ball 18 times for 113 yards (6.3 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  Stanton is a tough guy so I wouldn’t put it past him playing this Sunday in Miami.

Lions’ QB Drew Stanton led the Lions on a 10-play, 58-yard drive to set up kicker Dave Rayner with a game tying FG as time expired to send this game into O.T.  The Lions then won the toss and marched right down the field on a 9-play, 63-yard drive that set up Dave Rayner for the game winning 34 yard field goal as the Lions snapped a 26-game road losing streak!

Drew Stanton has the best game of his NFL career last Sunday for the Lions.  He completed 23 of 37 passes for 252 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 24 yards (12.0 ypc) in this game.  Maurice Morris was also outstanding for the Lions yesterday as he carried the ball 15 times for 109 yards (7.3 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 3 passes for 10 yards (3.3 avg).  Calvin Johnson (10 rec, 152 yards) and Nate Burleson (4 receptions for 28 yards with a TD and 1 carry for 25 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Lions last Sunday.  The Lions finished up with 181 yards rushing on 28 carries (6.5 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 38 passes for 252 yards.

LB DeAndre Levy (11 tackles, 1 pass defensed), LB Julian Peterson (9 tackles) and safety John Wendling (7 tackles) led the way for the Lions’ D in this game.  The Buccaneers finished up with 176 yards rushing on 28 carries (6.3 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 33 passes for 227 yards.  The Lions are now 4-10 on the season.

The Lions shocked the Packers last week, beating them 7-3 which broke a 5-games losing streak.  But, the Lions have lost 26 games in a row on the road.  The Buccaneers beat the Redskins to break a 2-game losing streak.  The Bucs are 8-0 against teams with losing records this  year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions have nothing to lose by playing loose tomorrow afternoon in Tampa.  Drew Stanton will have to be cafeful when throwing the ball as the Bucs have 18 interceptions this year, but there are plays to be made in the passing game as the Bucs are giving up 206.2 yards passing per game.  Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew and Nate Burleson all have potential to have big games this Sunday.  Jahvid Best, Maurice Morris and maybe even Stefan Logan will take some shots against a soft Bucs’ D that is allowing 133.1 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry.

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Lions have a lot to worry about in this game.  LeGarrette Blount has turned into a very solid RB and he will be taking aim at a Lions’ D that is allowing 122.7 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  The Lions need to get a good pass rush on Josh Freeman or he is going to make some big plays in the passing game.  Mike Williams, Arrelious Benn and Kellen Winslow give Freeman some quality targets in the passing games.

PREDICTION:  BUCCANEERS 23, LIONS 13